DICOM Data Association for Medical Imaging Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The timely and efficient integration of external medical imaging data into healthcare systems is hindered by the reliance on physical media, which is resource-intensive and delays care decisions, and existing solutions do not adequately address the need for automated workflow and data matching with existing records.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that enables the remote transfer and association of medical imaging data using DICOM format, allowing for authentication, metadata extraction, and automated workflow management, including the creation of new patient records and linking of imaging data to existing patients, without the need for dedicated hardware or manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical media is used to transfer external medical imaging data, then data can be transferred, but resource expenditure increases and care decisions are delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical physical media transfer system with an electronic data transfer system using DICOM protocol over network infrastructure. Imaging data is transmitted digitally between external facilities and the healthcare enterprise, eliminating the need for physical discs or media while maintaining data transfer reliability and significantly improving access speed for care decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of external imaging data in DICOM format that can be stored and accessed in the enterprise's imaging archive. Instead of transferring physical media, the invention copies the imaging data electronically, allowing multiple access points and eliminating the bottleneck of physical media handling while preserving the original data integrity.
2Reliability
If manual intervention is used to integrate external imaging data, then data can be associated with patients, but workflow efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated patient matching functionality that performs the data association task itself without requiring manual intervention. The software automatically compares patient demographics and identifiers from external imaging data with existing patient records in the enterprise system, autonomously identifying and linking the correct patient records, thereby maintaining association accuracy while dramatically improving workflow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the automated matching process presents potential matches to users for verification, and learns from user corrections to improve future matching accuracy. This feedback loop maintains high reliability in data association while preserving the efficiency benefits of automation by minimizing required human intervention.
3Reliability
If dedicated hardware is required for imaging data integration, then data can be processed, but device complexity and resource expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses universal DICOM-compatible software that can process imaging data from multiple external sources and facilities through a single interface. Instead of requiring dedicated hardware for each imaging modality or facility, the invention employs software that universally accepts DICOM-format data, eliminating the need for specialized hardware while maintaining reliable data processing capabilities across diverse imaging sources.
Data Source
AI summary
Computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, and computer systems for associating received medical imaging data with stored medical imaging data. Medical imaging data associated with a patient is received from a client device. The medical imaging data includes an image object, one or more data objects related to the image object, and metadata associated with the patient encoded in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) format. The metadata includes personal information about the patient, and time and location at which the DICOM image file was captured. The received metadata is compared with existing metadata associated with multiple existing patients to identify a subset of the existing patients who may be a potential match to the patient. Selection of an existing patient from among the subset is requested. When received, the medical imaging data is associated with the existing patient.